Generations: An American Family

by John Egerton

Book Overview

Burnam Ledford was born in the year that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and the United States celebrated its one hundredth birthday. He married Addie King the day after the Wright brothers flew through the air at Kitty Hawk. Burnam and Addie lived their lives in Kentucky, raised children, worked and matured and saw the world widen. John Egerton met them in 1977. He was looking for a family that he "could present to the reader as a metaphor...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067162833X
• ISBN13: 9780671628338
• Release Date: September 1986
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Highly recommended oral history of Appalachian family from KY

This is the real story of Burnam and Addie Ledford of eastern Kentucky and their ancestors and their descendants. Author John Egerton, who spent quite a lot of time with the two Ledfords whose ages and memories were remarkable, took the ancient art of oral storytelling and crafted it into a well-written book. I felt I was actually there with Burnam and Addie while reading this book. It's not just the story of this one family, but also a story about how some of our ancestors moved west through the Cumberland Gap; a story about how big and wide-spread a family tree gets over the years; a story about how slow things changed just a few generations ago, but how fast things change in today's world; about how you sometimes can't go back home and find home (devastation of mining in Appalachia). There is also a lesson here. Our ancestors all have interesting stories to tell, but if no one listens or writes them down, they get lost forever and that's a shame.

THANKS TO THE AUTHOR!

I am the Great-Grandson of Burnham & Addie, Grandson of Carl & Gerry, Son of Sue & Joe.To John Edgerton - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for preserving the history of our family. I can remember you from Lancaster at Grandaddy's birthday years ago.To Readers - An incredible story that you'll like to read - and one that I'm proud to be a part of.

Love it

I am a densent of Aly Ledford he was my g.g.g.grandfother.I love my book,the Generations. would like for everyone to read it.

A wonderful oral history of an American family.

Having read this book numerous times I can honestly tell you that is really is a wonderful oral history of an American family, which just happens to be MY family. Egerton did a great job of capturing their oral reports of the history of the Ledford family. Oddly enough, my name, (or should I say my father's name, who I am named after) is the last words of the book. It dates back well into the 1800's to what would be my great-great-great grandparents. I would recomend this book to anyone who wants a good look into the history of an American family.

It is just like being there with the elderly Ledfords.

I am the youngest granddaughter of the Ledfords and have real memories of when the book was being researched by John. We thought he was nuts! It is so very well written that it envokes sensory memories for me. I feel that I am with my beloved grandparents. I invite you to meet my family as they walk down time starting with covered wagons entering the Cumberland Gap and the dangers they met and ending in the 70's at the last family gathering before Grandpa's death. Each person can find something of interest. There is humor, adventures, romance, and tales of deep saddness. The reader is pulled into the story and seems to be part of the Ledford family. Come join the Ledford family as we live thru the times as your family also did. See you there. We soon came to accept the author John as family. He also has written other books. You have to read the book to figure out my idenity.